Hyderabad clinched the Take Sports-All India Buchi Babu Tournament in style, beating Chhattisgarh by 243 runs on the final day of the summit clash here at the NPR College Ground on Wednesday.
The Rahul Singh-led side entered day four on firm footing, having already secured the crucial first-innings lead and had set Chhattisgarh an improbable target of 518 in 90 overs.
Chhattisgarh, though, did not go down without a fight. Led by openers Ayush Pandey (117, 134b, 13x4, 3x6) - who slammed a brilliant century - and Shashank Chandrakar (50, 45b, 6x4, 2x6), the team got off to a blazing start. The opening pair stitched a 100-run partnership off just 103 balls.
Ayush Pandey in action for Chhattishgarh during the final of Buchi Babu tournament, against Hyderabad, at the NPR College Ground in Natham, Tamil Nadu. | Photo Credit: G. Moorthy/ The Hindu
Chandrakar made his intentions clear in the second over, taking on pacer Kartikeya Kak, slamming him for two consecutive fours before pulling him over the fine-leg boundary for a maximum.
ALSO READ: Duleep Trophy 2024: Tilak Varma hopes to climb First-Class ladder with all-round ability
The right-handed batter did not hold back, preferring to take the aerial route against the spinners to reach his half-century quickly. Pandey would not be left behind, sweeping the spinners for a flurry of boundaries. He was nimble on his feet and charged down to hit left-arm spinner Aniketh Reddy for three sixes down the ground.
However, left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan kept chipping away with wickets (five for 61) even as the runs kept flowing at a brisk pace. Chhattisgarh managed 194 for five in an action-packed 34-over first session.
Post-lunch, Pandey grafted his way to his landmark but could only delay the inevitable. On a helpful pitch that offered turn and bounce, the Hyderabad spinners’ persistence paid off and managed to wrap things up at the stroke of tea.
“It was an important tournament for us ahead of the season. We had some game plans we wanted to try, and we have shown what we are capable of,” said Hyderabad coach Abhijit Chatterjee following his side’s triumph.
ALSO READ: DRS in Duleep Trophy 2024 a ‘great initiative’
Hyderabad was in the Plate group last year, and skipper Rahul Singh feels the win is a morale-booster ahead of its return to Elite Group for the upcoming season.
Hyderabad celebrates a wicket against Chhattisgarh, at the final of Buchi Babu Tournament, at the NPR College Ground in Natham, Tamil Nadu. | Photo Credit: G. Moorthy/ The Hindu
“We wanted to play aggressive cricket and did it throughout the tournament. We did that in the Plate group last year, which was a bit easy, but we played against some good teams here. So that is a good sign for us ahead of the season,” said Rahul.
“In the semifinal against TN, we were on the backfoot after giving the lead, but we came back. We must win from behind because, in the Ranji Trophy, you will find yourself in similar situations, so you need to win such games,” the skipper added.
Comments
SHARE